Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov
told reporters on 24 February that even though no agreement was
reached at Rambouillet, the talks yielded "positive results." He
said that "in the course of two weeks it proved possible to work
out a very important political document that opens the way
towards settling the [Kosova] problem." Ivanov criticized NATO
for its effort to try to "impose on Belgrade an additional
document," which had caused "the situation over the past few
days" to become "overdramatized." Adopting a similar line, First
Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Avdeev said that "common sense
prevailed at the talks" and that now NATO bombing of Serbia is
out of the question. The previous day, Defense Minister Igor
Sergeev warned that NATO strikes against Yugoslavia would lead to
"another Vietnam" in the heart of Europe. JAC

U.S., RUSSIA TO LAUNCH JOINT EARLY WARNING SYSTEM CENTER?

Prime
Minister Yevgenii Primakov met with visiting U.S. Deputy
Secretary of State Strobe Talbott on 23 February. Russian Deputy
Foreign Minister Georgii Mamedov told reporters that the two
officials discussed the anti-ballistic missile treaty as well as
the situation in Kosova and Iraq. Citing only an "information
leak from Washington," "Izvestiya" reported on 24 February that
Talbott and Primakov agreed to open a joint early warning system
center by September. According to the newspaper, a U.S.
delegation headed by Assistant Defense Secretary Ted Warner
recently returned from Moscow where productive talks on the
matter were held. JAC

GOVERNORS REJECT PRIMAKOV'S PROPOSAL?

Prime Minister Primakov's
call for an amendment to the constitution providing for governors
to be appointed rather than elected drew a cool response from
Russia's regional heads (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 and 23
February 1999). According to "Kommersant-Daily" on 23 February,
governors were "outraged" at Primakov's suggestion, and following
his speech to the Sever-Zapad interregional association, Novgorod
Oblast Governor Mikhail Prusak, Murmansk Oblast Governor Yurii
Yevdokimov, and Republic of Karelia Chairman Yurii Katanandov all
harshly criticized federal government policy on various issues.
However, Carnegie Moscow Center analyst Nikolai Petrov told the
"Moscow Times" that Primakov's proposal should prove appealing to
governors because they would get to appoint mayors, who can be
their biggest headaches, and avoid the risk of not being re-
elected. He predicted that "the elite--federal, regional, and
local--is close to reaching a deal at the expense of the
electorate." JAC

RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT SEEKING DISTANCE FROM STEEL DEAL

The Russian
government says that the Russian-U.S. steel agreement concluded
by its trade negotiators in Rome on 23 February is not yet a done
deal. First Deputy Prime Minister Yurii Maslyukov told reporters
that the government has not yet reached a final decision on the
agreement and that doing so "will be very difficult." Also on 23
February, Vladimir Ponomarev, the head of exports at Severstal,
one of Russia's largest steel producers, told Bloomberg that the
minimum price set by the agreement is too high and will shut his
company's goods out of the U.S. market. But Magnitogorsk
Director-General Viktor Rashnikov told ITAR-TASS that he approves
in principle of the agreement. JAC

GERMANY RELUCTANT TO WRITE OFF DEBT

The Ministry of Finance has
postponed until 1 March announcing the terms it is offering
foreign holders of defaulted short-term treasury bonds. First
Deputy Finance Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said foreign investors
will be allowed to buy shares on the secondary market using ruble
proceeds from exchanging defaulted bonds. Meanwhile, German
government officials and bankers are opposed to writing off
Russia's debts inherited from the former Soviet Union, "Segodnya"
reported. According to the newspaper, Germany would be satisfied
with payments in oil, gas, and gold, as proposed by Commerzbank,
but "sober financial logic" dictates that Germany, which holds 40
percent of the Soviet Union debt, must insist on repayment.
Earlier, former Prime Minister Sergei Kirienko, who met with
German creditors in Bonn at the Primakov government's request,
had suggested that the Soviet debt be written off. JAC

COURT LIMITS RETAIL BANKS' DISCRETION WITH INTEREST RATES

The
Constitutional Court on 23 February prohibited banks from
changing interest rates on savings accounts without first
concluding a new agreement with their depositors, ITAR-TASS
reported. Association of Russian Banks Vice President Vyacheslav
Zakharov said the ruling will lead banks to conclude shorter-term
contracts with their customers. Banking analysts concluded that
the decision will limit retail banks' flexibility and encourage
banks to be very conservative at a time when they should be
innovative to lure back customers, according to AFP. JAC

SAMARA FIRE LABELED ACCIDENTAL

Vladimir Solovev, the prosecutor
leading the investigation into the blaze that killed 67 people at
regional Interior Ministry headquarters in Samara Oblast earlier
this month, told Ekho Moskvy on 23 February that arson was an
unlikely cause. He said there is no evidence to conclude the fire
was caused by sabotage or arson; however, the final conclusion
will follow the end of the investigation in about two months.
Head of the regional fire brigade General Aleksandr Zharkov also
concluded that the fire must have been caused by negligence,
ITAR-TASS reported. But as of 18 February, Interior Minister
Sergei Stepashin remained unconvinced. He told reporters that he
still has not ruled out that an "evil plot" was behind the blaze.
JAC

PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY TO PRIMORSKII KRAI RELIEVED OF DUTIES

President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree on 23 February relieving
General Viktor Kondratov from his duties as presidential envoy to
Primorskii Krai. Yeltsin appointed Kondratov in May 1997, at
which the latter was already serving as chief of the regional
administration of the Federal Security Service (FSB)--a post he
still holds. First deputy head of the presidential administration
Oleg Sysuev told Interfax that FSB head Vladimir Putin had asked
that Kondratov be relieved of his duties as presidential envoy in
order allow him to concentrate on local FSB matters. JAC

ONLY FIVE REGIONS HAVE PAID WAGES IN FULL

Russian regions were
allotted 30.4 billion rubles ($1.3 billion) during 1998 for the
payment of wages and reduction of debts from the federal budget,
according to a State Duma press release, Interfax reported.
During the same period, regions also received 2.5 billion rubles
in loans from the center. At present only five regions do not
have outstanding debts to state workers: the cities of Moscow and
Saint-Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk Krai, and the Yamalo-Nenetsk and
Taimirskii Autonomous Okrugs. JAC

PATRIARCH WANTS CHAPLAINS BACK IN ARMY

Patriarch of Moscow and
All Russia Alexii II suggested on 23 February that the post of
regimental chaplain in the armed forces be reinstituted. The
Bolsheviks abolished the post after the 1917 revolution,
according to Interfax. The patriarch noted that the post should
be reintroduced gradually. JAC

LUTHERANS WIN COURT BATTLE IN KHAKASSIA

The Supreme Court of the
Republic of Khakassia rejected on 12 February a request by the
republican prosecutor-general to strip the Evangelical Lutheran
mission of its registration in the region, Radiotserkov reported.
According to the report, the prosecutor-general's office intends
to appeal the case further. JAC

DID OCALAN ASK YELTSIN FOR ASYLUM?

At a press conference in
Moscow on 23 February, Mahir Valat, a senior official of the
Kurdistan National Liberation Front (which is affiliated with the
Kurdistan Workers' Party), produced documentary evidence that
Ocalan had appealed to President Yeltsin in October 1998 for
asylum in Russia, Interfax reported. Russian FSB director Putin
denied on 19 February that Ocalan had ever made such a request
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 February 1999). Valat appealed to
Russia as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to insist
that Ocalan be tried in a third country (that is, not Turkey) and
in an open trial. LF

CHECHEN PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER ABDUCTED

Aleksei Mitrofanov, who
advises Aslan Maskhadov on issues related to Chechnya's Russian-
speaking population, was kidnapped on his way to work in Grozny
on 23 February, ITAR-TASS reported. Addressing a rally the same
day to mark the 55th anniversary of the deportation of the
Chechens and Ingush to Central Asia, opposition state Shura
[council] head Shamil Basaev criticized Maskhadov's alleged
insincerity and pro-Russian orientation, Interfax reported.
Basaev said that Maskhadov issued his 3 February decrees imposing
Islamic law in Chechnya only under pressure from the opposition.
Maskhadov addressed a similar rally elsewhere in Grozny the same
day. LF

RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN MONGOLIA...

During a one-day visit to
Ulan Bator on 23 February, Ivanov met with President Natsagiin
Bagabandi, to whom he handed a letter from Yeltsin, ITAR-TASS
reported. In that letter, the Russian president wrote that Moscow
wants to continue strengthening traditional bilateral ties in the
spirit of the 1993 agreement on friendly relations and
cooperation. Ivanov said his conversation with Prime Minister
Zhanlavyn Narantsataralt was "concrete and constructive," noting
that they discussed, among others, boosting trade between
Mongolia and Russian regions bordering the Asian country. A
protocol on cooperation between the two countries' Foreign
Ministries was signed, as was an agreement on cooperation in the
use of diplomatic archives. BP

...AND TAJIKISTAN

On 24 February, Ivanov stopped off in Dushanbe
where he signed an agreement with his Tajik counterpart, Talbak
Nazarov, on cooperation between the two countries' Foreign
Ministries, ITAR-TASS reported. The two ministers also agreed to
hold talks on improving the legal basis for bilateral relations,
cooperating within the framework of the CIS and in regional and
international organizations, including the UN. An information
exchange will take part between the two leaders ministries, and
there will be joint training programs for personnel. Ivanov met
with officials from the UN and the United Tajik Opposition to
discuss the peace process. He also met with Tajik President
Imomali Rakhmonov to discuss the Tajik president's April visit to
Moscow. BP

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SEEKS DISTANCE FROM ELECTION LAW CONTROVERSY

Robert Kocharian was unaware when he signed the election law on
18 February that the text had been amended since the parliament
had passed the bill in the final reading three days earlier,
presidential spokesman Vahe Gabrielian told journalists on 23
February. Gabrielian said Kocharian had neither vetoed nor raised
any objections to the law because of the relatively short period
remaining in which to organize the poll, but the spokesman said
that the president does not exclude subsequent amendments to it,
Noyan Tapan and RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. Kocharian
intends to hold talks with leading political figures in the near
future on the conduct of the elections, according to ITAR-TASS.
Opposition parliamentary deputies continue to protest the changes
introduced into the text by the bill's author, Viktor Dallakian,
after the final reading (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 February
1999). LF

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT CHAIRMAN FLOATS REGIONAL COOPERATION
INITIATIVE

Khosrov Harutiunian has written to his Azerbaijani
counterpart, Murtuz Alesqerov, to solicit the latter's support
for Harutiunian's proposal to convene a meeting of Transcaucasus
parliamentary chairmen under the auspices of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe, Noyan Tapan reported on 23
February. The letter stresses the importance of peaceful dialogue
in seeking a solution to the region's problems. It also proposes
conducting seminars on regional cooperation under PACE auspices.
A spokesman for the Azerbaijani parliament told Turan on 23
February that Alesqerov has not yet received the missive, which
Armenia's ambassador in Moscow was to deliver to his Azerbaijani
counterpart (Armenia and Azerbaijan have no diplomatic
relations). LF

AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT CALLS FOR 'RESOLUTE ACTION' ON KARABAKH
CONFLICT

In a letter addressed to the French, Russian, and U.S.
co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group, Heidar Aliyev urged those
officials to "act resolutely" to find a solution to the Karabakh
conflict, Interfax reported on 23 February. Aliyev said that his
country's position is "constructive," but he repeated that
Azerbaijan "flatly rejects" the most recent peace plan proposed
by the Minsk Group. He said that plan, which advocates a "common
state" comprising Azerbaijan and the unrecognized Nagorno-
Karabakh Republic, "pushes the peace process back and reduces the
chance of a settlement." But the Russian co-chairman, Yurii
Yukalov, has denied that the Minsk Group will deviate from its
most recent peace proposal, Turan reported on 23 February, citing
Snark. LF

PREPARATIONS UNDER WAY FOR OSCE CHAIRMAN'S KARABAKH MEDIATION
TRIP

Meanwhile, a Norwegian Foreign Ministry delegation held
talks with senior officials in Stepanakert and Yerevan on 21-22
February in preparation for the planned visit to the
Transcaucasus in April of Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut
Vollebaek, who is currently the OSCE chairman-in-office, Noyan
Tapan and Turan reported. Karabakh President Arkadii Ghukasian
told the delegation that he hopes Vollebaek's visit will give new
impetus to the peace process. Ghukasian stressed the Karabakh
Armenians' desire for a "strong peace" based on mutual
concessions and dialogue. The Norwegian delegation will arrive in
Baku on 24 February. LF

AZERBAIJANI BY-ELECTION TURNOUT FALSIFIED?

A spokesman for
Azerbaijan's Central Electoral Commission told Turan on 22
February that by-elections held the previous day in two districts
of Baku were valid, with more than 60 percent of registered
voters participating. The spokesman said the CEC has received no
complaints about violations of voting procedure. But on 23
February, Nureddin Mamedli, chairman of the committee for the
defense of the rights of former parliamentary speaker Rasul
Guliev, said that in the Khatai district, which Guliev
represented in the parliament until being stripped of his mandate
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 December 1997), only between 2,000 and
3,000 of the 47,000 eligible voters actually went to the polls.
Candidates from the ruling Yeni Azerbaycan party have been
declared elected in both districts. LF

GEORGIAN PRESIDENT CLARIFIES POSITION ON CIS SECURITY TREATY

Eduard Shevardnadze's press service issued a statement on 23
February denying that Shevardnadze stated unequivocally that
Georgia will not renew its membership in the CIS Security Treaty
after that treaty expires in April, ITAR-TASS reported. The
statement quoted Shevardnadze as having said the previous day
that the treaty has not benefited Georgia and that he intends to
coordinate with Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov his position
on whether to recommit Georgia to membership. Karimov has said
his country will not renew its membership in the treaty.
Shevardnadze said on 8 February that Georgia would renew its
membership in the treaty "if our interests are taken into
consideration" with regard to the Abkhaz conflict and the
continued presence of Russian military bases in Georgia. LF

FORMER GEORGIAN SECURITY CHIEF'S WHEREABOUTS STILL UNCLEAR

The
Georgian embassy in Egypt and the Russian embassy in Damascus
have both said they can neither confirm nor deny British press
reports that Igor Giorgadze has been granted asylum in Syria,
ITAR-TASS reported on 23 February. The Georgian authorities say
former Security Minister Giorgadze helped to organize the failed
August 1995 car bomb attack on Shevardnadze at Moscow's
instigation. The Georgian press last month quoted a French
publication as claiming that Syrian President Hafez Assad granted
Giorgadze asylum in October 1998 at the request of the Russian
Federal Security Service (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 January
1999). LF

KURDISH PROTESTS CONTINUE IN SEVERAL CIS STATES

Ethnic Kurds in
several CIS states continue to protest the arrest of Kurdistan
Workers' Party leader Abdullah Ocalan and to demand his release.
Some 30 Kurds, including an 11-year-old girl, are continuing a
hunger strike outside the UN building in Yerevan, which they
began on 19 February, Noyan Tapan reported on 23 February. In
Tbilisi, several hundred Kurds staged a protest march, bringing
traffic in the city center to a standstill, and then demonstrated
outside the Turkish embassy to demand a fair trial for Ocalan, AP
and "Rezonansi" reported. In Kazakhstan, some 200 ethnic Kurds
began a hunger strike in the city of Taraz on 23 February,
Interfax reported. LF/BP

TAJIK PRESIDENT WARNS OF NEW THREAT FROM AFGHANISTAN

Imomali
Rakhmonov, speaking on 23 February at a ceremony marking
Defenders of Fatherland Day, warned that he had information about
a threat from terrorists training in Afghanistan, RFE/RL
correspondents in Dushanbe reported. Rakhmonov said there are
some 400 people undergoing sabotage training in various areas of
Afghanistan, with the goal of "creating chaos" in parts of
Tajikistan. He did not elaborate. BP

UN CALLS FOR SPEEDIER PROGRESS IN TAJIKISTAN

The UN Security
Council, in a statement issued on 23 February, called on the
Tajik government and United Tajik Opposition (UTO) to intensify
their efforts at implementing all the terms of the June 1997
Tajik National Peace Accord, signed in June 1997. The council
noted that progress toward holding a constitutional referendum
and presidential and parliamentary elections has been slow during
the last three months. (All three votes are planned for this
year.) The council also expressed concern about security in some
parts of the country, reminding Tajik officials that
international aid is dependent on a stable environment. And it
repeated calls for a full investigation into the murders of four
UN employees last July in central Tajikistan, requesting that the
UTO "contribute more effectively to the investigation." BP

IRAN, RUSSIA NEED TO PLAY 'KEY ROLE' IN TAJIKISTAN

UN special
envoy to Tajikistan Jan Kubis told journalists in Tehran on 23
February that Iran and Russia have been active participants in
establishing peace in Tajikistan. He called on both countries now
to play a "key role" in speeding up the peace process there. And
he thanked Iranian officials for their help in seeking a "full
and final normalization of the situation in Tajikistan," ITAR-
TASS reported. BP

KARIMOV REVEALS MORE DETAILS OF LAST WEEK'S BOMBINGS

Uzbek
President Islam Karimov, addressing diplomats and journalists in
Tashkent on 23 February, revealed more details of the 16 February
terrorist bombings. One of the primary suspects, Ulughbek
Babajanov, had visited government headquarters six times before
the bombings, he said. Babajanov, who is still at large, obtained
permission to enter the building from a deputy prime minister who
Karimov did not name. That official was guilty of negligence and
poor judgment rather than complicity in the attack, the president
argued. Karimov also said that not only Wahhabis but members of
Hezbollah were involved in planning the attack. According to AP,
Karimov said the attacks were planned in a foreign country, but
he did not name which one. BP

LOCAL UZBEK OFFICIALS ASKED TO HELP IN INVESTIGATION

ITAR-TASS
reported on 22 February that passport control in Uzbekistan has
been tightened and the government has asked local officials and
committees to help in the investigation of last week's bombings.
The news outlet quotes a "high official in the country's passport
agency" as saying these local officials and committees are, in
effect, carrying out a census in order to identify suspicious
individuals. Crime has reportedly decreased dramatically in
Uzbekistan since the attacks, and while no curfew has been
imposed, the streets of Tashkent are reportedly almost deserted
after 9:00 p.m. local time. BP

KYRGYZ AGRICULTURAL MINISTRY REVIEWS LAST YEAR'S RESULTS

The
Agricultural Ministry on 23 February announced that last year's
agricultural output totaled 19.6 billion som ($654 million),
RFE/RL correspondents reported. Prime Minister Jumabek Ibraimov
noted that most of the money from foreign loans for agriculture
has been embezzled, and he advised more stringent control over
such funds. He added that agriculture is the only sphere of the
Kyrgyz economy that can ensure "real growth" of GDP in 1999-2000,
Interfax reported. BP

MOODY'S LOWERS UKRAINE'S DOMESTIC LIABILITIES RATING

The
international rating agency Moody's has lowered the rating of the
Ukrainian government's domestic currency bonds from B3 to Ca,
Interfax and AP reported on 22 February. According to Moody's,
the Ca rating reflects "obligations which are speculative in a
high degree...and are often in default." Moody's added that the
terms offered by the Ukrainian government last fall for the
"voluntary" exchange of maturing T-bills were a "technical
default." Moody's also warned that the hryvnya is under threat of
rapid devaluation this year. Meanwhile, experts predict that
given the current lack of foreign exchange liquidity, Ukraine
faces a default on its foreign debt. JM

KUCHMA INSTRUCTS GOVERNMENT TO RETURN CHURCH PROPERTY

Ukrainian
President Leonid Kuchma has given the cabinet one year to return
former Church property to religious organizations in Ukraine,
Interfax reported on 23 February. Kuchma urged the State Property
Fund to prohibit the privatization of Church property and oblige
local authorities to provide land on which new Churches as well
as Muslim and Jewish cemeteries can be built. He also ordered the
State Customs Committee to simplify procedures for delivering
humanitarian aid to religious organizations. JM

UKRAINIAN JEWS SPLIT TO FORM NEW CONFEDERATION

Three influential
Jewish organizations in Ukraine's 500,000-strong Jewish community
have announced their intent to quit the All-Ukrainian Jewish
Congress and set up a Jewish Confederation of Ukraine, AP
reported on 23 February. The breakaway groups accuse the congress
of "inactivity" and pledge to unite Ukraine's more than 300
Jewish organizations and groups within the new confederation.
Ukrainian Television reported on 23 February that representatives
of all Jewish organizations in Ukraine are to meet in April and
"determine their participation in the newly-created
confederation." JM

BELARUSIAN JUDGE REQUESTS POLITICAL ASYLUM IN GERMANY

Yury
Sushkou, a judge from the city of Babruysk, has requested
political asylum in Germany, RFE/RL's Belarusian service reported
on 23 February, citing the Spring-96 human rights group in Minsk.
Sushkou is currently in a German camp for political refugees. At
a news conference in Minsk on 18 February, Sushkou said, "My
experience as a judge has convinced me that achieving justice
based on law is impossible under the Belarusian judicial system.
Judges are forced to ignore the law and make decisions that
support the totalitarian regime." He added that judges in Belarus
are compelled to justify lengthy investigations and detentions by
finding the defendants guilty, regardless of the evidence. He
added that he knows from experience that prosecutors often elicit
confessions from defendants by means of torture. JM

BELARUSIAN OPPOSITIONIST GRANTED LAST-MINUTE AMNESTY

Alyaksey
Shydlouski, a student sentenced to 18 months in jail for painting
anti-presidential graffiti on city buildings in Stoubtsy, has
been released from a Minsk prison two days before his sentence
was due to expire, RFE/RL's Belarusian Service reported on 23
February. Shydlouski told RFE/RL that authorities waited until
the last moment to amnesty him for two reasons: to avoid a
planned demonstration by Shydlouski's supporters on the scheduled
day of his release and to strip him of the right to amnesty in
the event of his future arrest. In Belarus, an individual can be
amnestied only once every 10 years. JM

ESTONIAN LAWMAKERS ADOPT RAILWAY LAW

The parliament on 23
February finally adopted the law on the railways, thereby
removing the final obstacle to the privatization of this sector,
ETA reported. The law regulates general safety measures for
railway transport and provides for issuing licenses to railway
infrastructure companies. Railway privatization deadlines have
been pushed back by 18 months owing to the delay in passing the
new law. Meanwhile, opposition parties successfully used delaying
tactics in the parliament to prevent discussion of the
controversial bill on import tariffs during the current
legislature's term. JC

ESTONIAN INDUSTRIAL SALES NOSEDIVE

The sales of industrial goods
plummeted last month, falling 15 percent compared with January
1998 and 20 percent vis--vis December 1998, ETA reported on 23
February. Analysts cited tougher competition and the continuing
pressure on global markets as well as the Russian financial
crisis, which caused a large number of bankruptcies in the
industrial sector. Sales of foodstuffs and soft drinks were down
41 percent compared with January 1998, while electricity and
heating output were down 6 percent and 9 percent, respectively.
JC

ESTONIAN INTERIOR MINISTER MEETS WITH MOSCOW PATRIARCH

Olari
Taal told Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Aleksii II in Moscow
on 22 February that the Russian Orthodox Church subordinated to
the Moscow Patriarchate will be registered in Estonia "as soon as
possible," ETA reported. Taal commented that while the state has
done "everything" to legalize the Church, members of the Church
have been "passive" about registering it in accordance with
Estonian law. Aleksii, who was born in Estonia on 23 February
1929, said he is "certain" he will pay a visit to that country
this year. JC

LATVIAN CABINET NOT TO ATTEND 16 MARCH CEREMONIES

The government
has decided not to take part in any ceremonies commemorating 16
March, which has been designated Latvian Soldiers Day, LETA
reported on 23 February. An official government statement urges
residents, the mass media, and political and non-governmental
organizations to display tolerance toward and understanding for
events organized by war veterans. It calls upon residents to
avoid becoming victims of any provocation aimed at destabilizing
the country. And it also condemns any extreme radical
manifestations such as "Nazism, Stalinism, or anti-Semitism."
Last year, a march by veterans of the Latvian Waffen SS Legion
provoked a heated debate in Latvia and strong criticism from
Moscow (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16 March 1998). JC

EU SETS NO DEADLINE FOR CLOSING IGNALINA

At a meeting of the EU-
Lithuanian Association Council in Luxembourg on 22 February, the
EU urged Vilnius to undertake "realistic commitments" on closing
down the Ignalina nuclear power plant but stopped short of
setting a deadline for the plant's closure, LETA and BNS
reported. A Lithuanian diplomat in Brussels told BNS that there
were no threats of not inviting Lithuania to EU accession talks
at the end of 1999 if the country fails to set a date for
shutting down Ignalina. "The dialogue with the EU does not even
give a hint of an ultimatum," he commented. A draft national
strategy outlines two scenarios for Ignalina: phasing out the
plant by 2005, which would be earlier than originally projected,
or continuing operations until 2015 (see also "RFE/RL Newsline,"
22 February 1999). JC

POLISH HEALTH WORKERS SUSPEND GENERAL STRIKE

Poland's health
sector has suspended a nationwide 10-day strike launched last
week to demand higher wages and increased funds for the health
care system (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 and 22 February 1999).
Krzysztof Bukiel, head of a doctors' trade union, said the
continued negotiations with the government provide hope for a
compromise on demands that the health service be given more
money, AP reported. However, a Health Ministry spokesman told
Reuters that the government will not accept the protesters'
demand to increase the mandatory health-care contribution to 11
percent of an individual's income from the current 7.5 percent.
JM

SUPPORT FOR POLAND'S SOLIDARITY BLOC PLUNGES

A poll conducted by
the Center for the Study of Public Opinion (CBOS) in early
February shows that support for the Solidarity Electoral Action
(AWS), the larger of the two ruling coalition parties, has
decreased from 28 percent in January to 22 percent. The liberal
Freedom Union, the AWS's coalition partner, improved its rating
from 11 percent to 15 percent, while support for the opposition
post-communist Democratic Left Alliance rose from 27 percent to
29 percent. The CBOS commented that the plunge in the AWS's
popularity can be attributed to the recent protests by farmers
and health-service workers. The agricultural and health ministers
are affiliated to the AWS. JM

CZECH PREMIER, CARDINAL VLK REACH AGREEMENT

Two commissions, the
existing government one and a new one composed of experts and
reflecting the composition of the parliament, will examine
Church-state relations under a compromise agreement reached by
Premier Milos Zeman and Cardinal Miroslav Vlk on 23 February. Vlk
told journalists that the Catholic Church (which has opposed the
presence of a Communist Party member on the existing government
commission) will not oppose a Communist presence on the expert
commission but will not "officially participate" in its debates,
CTK reported. MS

SKINHEAD LEADERS DETAINED IN CZECH REPUBLIC

Police in Plzen on
20 February detained 12 skinheads before a planned meeting in a
nearby village, CTK reported. The police have requested that
three of those detained remain in custody during an investigation
into their activities. The 12 are charged with violating
legislation guaranteeing civic rights and freedoms, which can
carry prison sentences of up to eight years. Premier Zeman on 23
February met with the officers involved in the raid and promised
them promotions. The same day, "Mlada fronta Dnes" reported that
police have detained in Holoubkov, western Bohemia, six members
of a previously unknown paramilitary group called Sturmpionier-
Battalion 43. The group, which vows to honor the legacy of the
Nazi Wehrmacht, was armed with World War II rifles and a machine
gun. MS

SLOVAK POLICE RAID LEXA SECRETARY'S HOME

Police on 23 February
searched the home of the secretary of former Slovak Counter-
Intelligence chief Ivan Lexa, CTK reported. A spokesman said the
police were acting on information based on an "anonymous letter"
and were searching for the weapon used in the murder of former
Economy Minister Jan Ducky on 11 January. Lexa requested that the
prosecutor-general investigate the "politicized police" action,
saying his secretary was questioned for seven hours and later had
to consult a doctor. MS

HUNGARY'S TOP BANKING SUPERVISORS RESIGN

Imre Tarafas, president
of the State Banking and Capital Markets Supervision (APTF), and
his deputy, Rezso Nyers, resigned on 23 February, saying their
"rapidly deteriorating relationship" with the government was
jeopardizing the country's financial sector. Prime Minister
Viktor Orban and Finance Minister Zsigmond Jarai last week
demanded Tarafas's resignation for failing to take action to
prevent the bankruptcy of Realbank and the Globex brokerage and
for the difficulties encountered by Postabank. Following the
resignations, the government withdrew its accusations, saying
that the APTF did everything possible to maintain the financial
sector's stability. As the APTF leadership was appointed by the
previous government, the conflict is viewed by media as political
in nature. MSZ

KOSOVA TALKS ADJOURNED

The Kosova peace conference in
Rambouillet, France, ended on 23 February without an agreement,
AP reported. The U.S., French, and British co-hosts of the 17-day
talks decided to suspend the talks until 15 March to give the
Albanians two weeks for "consultations" with their
constituencies. Both Albanians and Serbs have committed
themselves to participating in the follow-up conference. British
Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said "we do not have the signatures"
either on political part of the peace accord or the military
annex that the six-country Contact Group argues is necessary to
enforce it. He added that "we will use the next three weeks to
convince the Serbs andAlbanians that the agreement is a good
bargain for both sides." The Albanian delegation continues to
insist on a referendum on independence after three years, while
the Serbs still reject a NATO peacekeeping force. FS

CONTACT GROUP PRAISES 'CONSENSUS'...

Notwithstanding the lack of
an agreement, the Contact Group issued a statement after the
conference saying that "the important efforts of the parties and
the unstinting commitment of our negotiatorshave led to a
consensus on substantial autonomy for Kosova, including on
mechanisms for free and fair elections to democratic institutions
for the governance of Kosova, for the protection of human rights
and the rights of members of national communities, and for the
establishment of a fair judicial system." The statement stressed
that the envisaged autonomy will respect "the national
sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia." It added that "a political framework is now in
placeand the groundwork has thereby been laid for finalizing the
implementation Chapters of the Agreement, including the
modalities of the invited international civilian and military
presence" in Kosova. FS

...WARNS PARTIES TO RESPECT CEASE-FIRE

The Contact Group's
statement went on to say that "the parties must abstain from any
action which would undermine the achievements of Rambouillet" and
"honor fully and immediately the cease-fire" in Kosova as well as
"abstain from all provocative actions." U.S. Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright stressed that NATO's threat of air strikes
remains in place in the event that Serbs resume attacks in
Kosova. She said that "the marriage of force and policy still
exists," adding that NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana "holds
the ring." She stressed, however, that it is up to the Albanians
to "create this black and white situation" by fully accepting an
accord themselves, Reuters reported. FS

UN, EU, U.S. URGE 'CONSTRUCTIVE SPIRIT'

The UN Security Council
and Secretary-General Kofi Annan have urged Serbs and Albanians
to "work constructively" to implement agreements when talks
resume on 15 March. Annan expressed the hope that the conference
"will result in a comprehensive interim agreement" and "provide
genuine autonomy for the long-suffering people of Kosova." U.S.
President Bill Clinton called the talks " a significant step
forward in the search for a fair and lasting peace" and urged
both sides to sign the Contact Group's draft agreement next
month. He noted that NATO remains poised to use military force if
necessary. The German Foreign Ministry, in the name of the EU
presidency, issued a statement saying that the EU is determined
to play a "substantial role" in reconstructing the Serbian
province and in helping to implement any peace deal. FS

SERBIAN PRESIDENT SAYS TALKS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL

Milan Milutinovic
said in Rambouillet after the talks that "the [Contact Group's]
conclusions are a camouflage for the lack of success at this
conference," adding that "there has been no Rambouillet accord."
He blamed organizers for allowing only "minimal contact" between
the Serbs and the Kosova Albanians during the talks, adding that
there was prejudice against the Serbs throughout, AP reported.
Milutinovic demanded "a new method of working to allow us to
reach a quicker and better solution," including more face-to-face
talks. He again ruled out the possibility of any NATO troops on
Serbian soil or a combination of NATO and Russian troops.
Meanwhile in Belgrade, Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Vuk
Draskovic accused international mediators of playing "games
behind the scenes" and altering the draft peace plan at the last
minute to include a formula for an eventual referendum on
independence. FS

UCK PLEDGES TO CONTINUE 'LIBERATION WAR'...

A spokesman for the
Kosova Liberation Army's (UCK) political representative Adem
Demaci said in Prishtina on 23 February that talks cannot bring
peace and the guerrillas will wage their "liberation war" to the
end. Meanwhile, the head of the Albanian delegation in
Rambouillet, UCK representative Hashim Thaci, told Albanian
Television that the Kosovars "should not expect much" from the
next round of negotiations. He urged them to unite behind the
UCK. FS

...WHILE FIGHTING CONTINUES

RFE/RL's South Slavic Service,
citing the Serbian Media Center, reported on 23 February that
five Serbian policemen were wounded in the village of Bukoshi,
near Vushtrri, during a shootout with the UCK. An AP photographer
was also injured in the fighting. The shadow-state Kosova
Information Center, meanwhile, reported that Serbian troops
continue bombarding several villages in the area with tanks and
heavy artillery. Elsewhere, UNHCR spokesman Chris Janowski put
the total number of people who fled their homes within the last
three days alone at around 10,000. FS

YUGOSLAV ARMY MINES BRIDGE

Unnamed diplomats and international
peace monitors told Reuters that Yugoslav army engineers have
placed explosives on a key bridge at the main highway connecting
Prishtina with the Macedonian border. A diplomat said that "the
Yugoslav army is serious and professional. They wouldn't be a
match for NATO if it came to it but they would use every means to
frustrate an attack, including blowing up the bridges and tunnels
that NATO ground forces would want to use." FS

ALBANIA WANTS NATO TO ENSURE PEACE

The Albanian government
issued a statement on 23 February in Tirana saying that "the
talks [are] onlythe first stage in reaching an agreement and
that the draft political accord agreed on in Rambouillet will be
"implemented only by the military and political enforcing
instruments of NATO and the OSCE." Albanian Foreign Minister
Paskal Milo told Albanian Television that the agreement might not
have been the best possible for the ethnic Albanians but that it
is the best base from which to proceed. Milo predicted that the
Kosovars' attitude will not alter in the two weeks before the
next conference, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, Albania's Defense
Ministry has put troops on high alert in its northern regions,
after Serbian troops and equipment began to be reinforced along
the border, an army spokesman told Reuters on 23 February. FS

CHINA OPPOSES EXTENSION OF MACEDONIAN UN MANDATE

A spokesman for
China's UN mission in New York told Reuters on 23 February that
China opposes extending the mandate of UN peacekeepers in
Macedonia. He did not say, however, whether China will use its
veto in the Security Council. The council is scheduled to vote
this week on whether to renew the mandate, which expires on 27
February. China severed diplomatic relations with Macedonia on 9
February because of its new ties to Taiwan. Meanwhile, unnamed
diplomats say the U.S. is considering a new status for the
peacekeepers, either as part of NATO or as a separate border
force paid for by Washington and other contributors. FS

BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY SEEKS CUTS IN MILITARY SPENDING

Bosnia's
collective presidency on 23 February launched an initiative aimed
at reducing military spending, Mirza Hajric, an adviser to
Bosnian Muslim Presidency member Alija Izetbegovic, told Reuters.
Hajric said he believes the idea could "easily fly" in the
federation and that he hopes the Republika Srpska will also
accept it. Hajric said the idea is to reduce such spending by
one-third to free up money for reconstruction of the country. He
stressed, however, that "we would have to get an agreement with
Yugoslavia and Croatia." FS

NATO BOOSTS PRESENCE IN HARDLINE BOSNIAN-SERB TOWN

SFOR
spokesman Glenn Chamberlain told Reuters on 23 February that SFOR
has "sharply increased" its presence in Foca. That town is
believed to harbor several Serbian indicted war criminals.
Chamberlain said SFOR will set up random checkpoints, noting that
"this is recognition of a pattern of illegal activity in that
town over a considerable period of time." However, he gave no
other details about the nature of the operation. FS

ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT TO ASK PARLIAMENT FOR ENDORSEMENT

Prime
Minister Radu Vasile on 23 February said on Romanian Television
that his government will "assume responsibility" in the
parliament for its economic program. According to this process,
the legislature is considered to have approved the program unless
a no confidence motion is submitted. Vasile said the program will
include a new privatization law envisaging the sale in
installments of state-owned companies to Romanian investors, a
law on property restitution, and legislation defining public
administration accountability. In other news, the miners in the
Jiu Valley and the valley's state-owned mining company have
reached agreement on a new collective contract for 1999 that
provides for an average wage hike of 17 percent. MS

ROMANIAN OPPOSITION PARTY THREATENS PARLIAMENTARY BOYCOTT

Ovidiu
Musatescu, executive secretary of the opposition Party of Social
Democracy in Romania (PDSR), said on 23 February that the PDSR
will discuss the possibility of boycotting parliamentary debates
till the next elections to protest the ruling National Peasant
Party Christian Democratic's (PNTCD) campaign against PDSR leader
Ion Iliescu. PNTCD chairman Ion Diaconescu and his deputy, Remus
Opris, told journalists on 22 February that the former president
cannot run for what they said would be a third presidential term,
adding that "it will soon transpire who is truly responsible" for
the miners' rampages in Bucharest in 1990-1991. Musatescu said
the PDSR will "use all possible forms of protest" to defend its
chairman. MS

SMIRNOV CALLS FOR STRENGTHENING MILITARY

Transdniester
separatist leader Igor Smirnov, marking the Defense of the
Fatherland Day on 23 February, said Transdniester must build up
its military potential, adding that it "needs a strong
and well-trained army to defend its sovereignty and independence
at any moment," RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. The same day,
a Foreign Ministry spokesman in Chisinau said a Tiraspol
delegation's recent participation in debates in the Russian State
Duma on the Transdniester was "a gesture incompatible with the
traditional Russia-Moldovan dialogue." Oleg Serebrian said the
Duma is "free to discuss any problem related to Russia's national
interests but must [neither] affect the national interests of
other sovereign nations" nor allow "any infringement of other
countries' territorial integrity," Infotag reported. MS

BULGARIA, ROMANIA DISAGREE OVER DANUBE TUNNEL

A Romanian project
to build a tunnel under the Danube River between Giurgiu and
Russe has met with sharp criticism in Bulgaria, dpa reports,
citing the daily "Trud." Giurgiu and Russe are already linked by
a bridge. The daily says the Romanian plan is aimed at preventing
the construction of a second bridge over the river. The two
governments have long disagreed over the construction of a second
bridge: Bulgaria insists that it span the river between Vidin and
Calafat, while Bucharest wants the bridge to be built further
east. Bulgarian experts say Romanian opposition to the Vidin-
Calafat project stems from non-economic, political motives and
that Bucharest wants to prevent an economic boom in Transylvania,
where Romania's ethnic Hungarian minority is concentrated. MS

LOOKING BACK TO THE FUTURE

By Paul Goble

A 19th-century Russian foreign minister has again been held
up as a model for Moscow's foreign policy because of his ability
to use "the force of the word" to prevent other powers from
exploiting Russia's time of relative weakness.

Writing in the latest issue of the Russian Foreign
Ministry's journal "International Affairs," Viktor Lopatnikov
follows on from the celebration begun by Yevgenii Primakov last
year of Aleksandr Gorchakov, Russia's foreign minister for nearly
a generation after the country's defeat in the Crimean War.

Lopatnikov, who represents the Foreign Ministry in Saint
Petersburg, argues that Gorchakov's approach to dealing with the
outside world remains "amazingly topical today." And he suggests
that Russian officials study three aspects of Gorchakov's
approach in order to learn how to act in the future.

First, Lopatnikov says, Gorchakov's immense dignity in the
face of the indignities Russia suffered following its defeat in
Crimea not only helped restore Russian national pride but had the
effect of demonstrating to foreigners that Russia is, in the poet
Fyodor Tyutchev's words, "a country that cannot be measured by an
ordinary yardstick."

To the extent that foreign powers recognize that fact,
Lopatnikov argues, they did not in the 19th century and will not
be interested in the future in exploiting Russia when it is
"concentrating" on its domestic affairs.

These powers, he continues, will thus find themselves once
again caught between their own recognition that Russia is a
country unlike any other and their acceptance of Russian demands
that Russia be treated as an equal. Being thus trapped, they will
be forced to give more deference to Russia than its position
might otherwise justify.

Second, Lopatnikov argues, Gorchakov understood that Russia
simultaneously must be extremely selective in deciding where it
will actually get involved. It must also insist on its right to
deploy its diplomatic and political muscle wherever it deems
necessary.

On the one hand, as Gorchakov showed, that stance will keep
other powers off balance and thus allow Russia to use diplomacy
rather than force to prevent any combination from arising against
its interests. And on the other, it will allow Russia to focus on
the recovery of its domestic economy, the ultimate source of its
power.

As Primakov argued last spring on the 200th anniversary of
Gorchakov's birth, this domestic focus both provides an anchor
for stabilizing Russia's foreign policy and guarantees that
Russian advances internationally can always be justified in terms
that other powers are likely to find acceptable rather than
aggressive.

And third, Lopatnikov suggests, Gorchakov recognized that
the chief focus of Russian foreign policy must be along its own
borders. The 20th-century diplomat notes the praise his 19th-
century predecessor received for doing just that.

In 1864, Aleksandr II formally congratulated Gorchakov for
his use of "the force of the word" to disarm the enemies of
Russia, an action the tsar said guaranteed that Gorchakov's name
would be entered in "the future chronicle of the Fatherland."

Lopatnikov does not provide the text of Gorchakov's message
that won Aleksandr's approval. But most of his readers are likely
to recall with precision just what policy the 19th-century
foreign minister was advancing.

On 21 November 1864, Gorchakov issued a dispatch justifying
the Russian imperial advance into Central Asia. He argued in
terms that many of his European counterparts would have found
difficult to answer: "The position of Russia in Central Asia is
that of all civilized states which come into contact with half-
savage, nomadic populations who possess no fixed social
organization."

In such cases, Gorchakov said, "the more civilized state is
forced, in the interests of security and commerce, to exercise a
certain ascendancy over those whose turbulent and unsettled
character makes them most undesirable neighbors."

Presumably, Lopatnikov would not endorse these specific
terms for the present and future. But his and Primakov's
enthusiasm for Gorchakov who uttered them may confuse some
Russian diplomats and create problems for others.